A variation listing is where more than one buying option is available from the same product listing page. Variations listing are enable buyers to have more choice but are more fiddly to create.
Parent child relationships
Variations are created using what is know as the SKU Parent-child relationship
- Parent SKU. Each variation set has a parent SKU. This is not a product which is for sale, but groups all the SKUs together.
- Child SKUs. These are the individual options which can be purchased.
The following diagram illustrates the relationship.
Parent SKU is ‘Baby Trainer Shoes’ whilst the six child SKUs would be a combination of colour and size:
- Size 19 + Blue
- Size 19 + Busty Blue
- Size 19 + Green
- Size 20 + Blue
- Size 20 + Busty Blue
- Size 20 + Green
Variation theme
When creating a variation set you need to select a variation theme. There are a set number of these per Amazon category and then are defined in the template under the Valid Values tab. The selection of variation theme determines the fields in the template which must be filled in. For example
- Colour. Set the Variation theme field to Color and complete the Colour Name field
- Size. Set the Variation theme field to Size and complete the Size Name field
- Colour + Size. Set the variation theme to ColorSize (not formatting) and fill in both of the above fields
Parent SKU fields
Parent SKU only group products together and so only have limited fields complete. These are:
- Item type
- SKU
- Title
- Manufacturer
- Brand
- Relationship type
- Variation theme
- Update/delete
Other fields are only completed for child SKUs as if they were single (orphan) SKUs. These include:
- Description
- Images
- Pricing
- Stock availability
Variation fields
In the upload template there is a special section for fields specific to variation listings. These are:
- Parentage. Complete as ‘Variation’ for child SKUs only
- Parent SKU. Complete with the Parent SKU for child SKUs only.
- Relationship Type. Complete as ‘Parent’ or ‘Child’
- Variation Theme. Complete for all SKUs as specified above
